The Maw
Located West of Silverstein, The Maw is the desert city home to many of the scaled beings in the humanoid realm. Tainted by demonic magic from the north, it represents a chaotic swarm of what most consider dangerous beasts. The surrounding area gives the city its name sake, many large stone spires come out of the ground much like the defensive crests of lizards. Description Built into a cluster of rock spires in the desert, the city is a natural fortress even beyond the vast desert that defeats most people before they even start. The city is mostly underground built into standstone tunnels and large caverns where its people live in realitve cool air. The people dug deep down into the earth, tapping into a huge well of water keeping the underground also quite well watered allowing for underground planting farms as well. The surrounding desert is an enigma to most people who don't know how to get past it. Many people from Silverstein know how to get there, but never want to do so ever again. The druids of the area combined with the demonic magic make it nearly impossible for people to cross. All the oasies only open for thoes the land chooses, and the land itself seems to be against any kind of lifeform that isn't native to the area. Most people find themselves exhausted and then captured by slavers should they attempt to enter the desert without being prepared. The city itself consists of Lizardmen and their Naga and Yuan-Ti Masters, and of course all their slaves that they've picked up in the desert. The slaves have almost been given a mercy of their own, being allowed to live in The Maw, however they're being put to work within the city with no way of seeing freedom, except the arena. Twenty victories in the Arena grants freedom. In the many many years, only two people have made it through to become free, and those two actually stayed in the city to become masters themselves. Culture Two factions rule the city, the Naga and the Yuan-Ti. Both of which actually work well together and after many years of blood, they've come to an agreement which has bonded them together for centuries. The elders of the community realize the rules have worked and will work, so they crush uprisings to change the situation immediately. Magi : The Magi of The Maw are completely made up of the upper class. Lizardmen just have not shown potential to become powerful either by natural magic or by learned magic. The Naga and the Yuan-Ti who do have potential for magic are usually guided early on by mentors but later on often choose to use demonic influenced magic to make them more powerful. Never without it's drawbacks, usually the magic is paid for by sacrifices. Warriors : Any of the races and their slaves provide a formidable challenge for anyone entering the desert. People in Silverstein are always warned to never go into the desert or they'll be killed or enslaved by the patrols that roam the desert. Within the desert it's almost suicide to go against The Maw's warriors who have adapted to fighting in the desert just as much as people of the cooler citys can fight in a tavern. Relations Silverstein : The people of Silverstein live in fear of The Maw, never going into the desert. Many are still wispered away by demons telling them of great treasures that lie in the desert. This keeps The Maw filled with slaves who were given false promises and those who's intellect is too low to save them anyways. Solwyn : While across a river and in mountain range, often the Dark elves of Solwyn will trade slaves with The Maw, either for elven slaves they manage to capture or for raw materials or coin. Otherwise the cities do not have many interactions.